The proliferation of stun guns among law enforcement, security forces and facilities for holding humans and animals throughout the world, has caused an unanticipated problem. Stun guns, such as the Taser® gun, work by shooting barbed darts into the subject. These darts are connected to thin wires, through which a series electric pulses is passed to subdue the subject.
After the subject has been subdued, it is necessary for a trained professional to remove the dart(s) from the subject. This is typically done after the subject is restrained with a device. The darts are then removed by holding the subject still with one hand, while removing the dart with the other. Unfortunately, during this operation the subject may suddenly move due to the pain or in an effort to gain freedom. This, in turn, may throw the responding professional off balance to the point that he inadvertently jabs the barbed end of the newly removed and contaminated dart into the hand or other part of the body used to stabilize the subject's body.
Far from being a minor, temporary injury, this brief event may have a life-long and tragically life-shortening effect on the responding professional, who may contract hepatitis, HIV or any one out of a long list of blood born pathogens from blood on the dart. This very occurrence has become all too common, with thousands of people all infected with a deadly virus through this mechanism or a related cause, such as an intra venous needle stick. Moreover, to avoid exposure to a blood-borne pathogens, many jurisdictions have instituted a procedure in which the agency who deployed the stun gun darts will call the fire department, paramedics or other trained professionals to acquire and remove the stun gun darts. This procedure is extremely costly in man hours, fuel, etc. Some way must be found to make the removal of stun gun darts safer for the personnel who must acquire, remove and store them.